Summary of a news story from Emory University, April 2, 2026
A clinical trial at Emory University School of Medicine found that two weeks of low-frequency TMS reduced activity in the amygdala, the brain region that processes fear, and significantly improved symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results were published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Fifty adults with PTSD symptoms enrolled and 47 completed the study. Participants were randomly assigned to active TMS or a placebo treatment without knowing which they received. MRI scans were used to pinpoint each person’s stimulation site. In the active TMS group, 74% of participants had a clinically meaningful reduction in symptoms. Improvement appeared after two weeks of treatment and lasted at least six months, the full length of the follow-up. The researchers say this is the first study to use MRI to individualize TMS for PTSD. Unlike talk therapy, the treatment doesn’t ask patients to recount traumatic experiences.
The study was led by Sanne van Rooij, Ph.D., of Emory’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. TMS is FDA-cleared for depression and several other conditions but not currently for PTSD.
Read the full article: Emory study finds brain stimulation improves PTSD symptoms by calming fear center, Emory News, April 2, 2026. Study in The American Journal of Psychiatry.